Kid for a Day
by Literaturefangirl
Summary: Turned into a child by the mischievous King Kid, a young Thaddeus Sivana meets a certain red clad superhero, in a carnival of a realm.


"We are few numbers, Dr. Sivana, but that will soon change. Conquer one of the Seven Realms in my absence and limitless power awaits you."

The Funlands, with its innocuous name, was the realm that Thaddeus Sivana had chosen to claim for his new 'friend' Mr. Mind.

A place of wonder and fun, filled with amusement rides and candy stores, taking over the Funlands would be a piece of cake.

Bottomless milkshakes and pizza slices that never run out, were but a few of the powers of the magical candy cane sceptre held by the self-proclaimed host of the Funlands—King Kid.

The teenager that Thaddeus would soon usurp.

"Frowns aren't allowed, here in the _Funlands_. What brings you here, stony faced stranger?" King Kid asked Thaddeus, atop a green rocking horse, gilded with gold reins encrusted with jewels.

Sporting a crown, on bright blue locks. Wearing candy cane stockings and a fur trimmed purple cloak. The child was a mismatched joke.

"Playtime is over, your _highness. _You are going to give me your sceptre." Thaddeus sneered, as he made his demands.

"It's not polite to come in here and demand another kid's toy. You need to learn some manners." The King scolded Thaddeus, like a parent disciplining their child.

But before Thaddeus could get a word in, King Kid raised his sceptre and unleashed a stream of magic at him, the colour of the rainbow. His vision, now clouded in purple and his legs growing weak, Thaddeus looked around the room for a way to escape. But this was one encounter that Thaddeus would not be running away from.

Overcome with wooziness, Thaddeus collapsed on the floor, which smelt of stale pretzels and spilled soda. Like the carpet in a messy child's room. Not that he would know.

"It's about time you got in touch with your inner child, don't you agree?" King Kid remarked with a mischievous grin.

What did he mean by that? Thaddeus frowned. The last thought his present self would have, before losing consciousness.

—

"Guys, you need to see this." Billy called out, sounding tense, as he Mary and Darla stepped into the Funlands— their first trip away from Earth.

"This _place._.. has a Dr. Pepper fountain!" Billy exclaimed, the sparkling red liquid trickling down the tiered fountain, grabbing his attention amongst the multitude of rides and food stalls.

"You wanna race to the Merry-Go-Round?" Darla asked Mary, who was gazing at the tallest Ferris Wheel she had ever seen.

"Ready? Set? SHAZAM!" Darla counted down and sped towards the ride, with the speed of Hermes on her side.

"Wait up!" Mary chased after her, leaving Billy alone to get the lay of the land. Transforming into the Wizard's champion—Shazam, Billy flew high above the Funlands.

As far as Billy's eyes could see, children were having fun to their heart's content in this fairy tale of an amusement park. All except for one. A dark haired boy, wearing glasses and a sweater, casting doubtful looks as he looked around the place.

He looks like he could use some help. Billy thought and flew down, landing next to the boy.

"Hey, are you looking for a ride? You look kinda lost. Can't blame you, this place is huge!" Billy asked, still amazed by the sights he had just observed.

"I don't know how I got here." The boy mumbled under his breath and stuffed his hands in his pant pockets, staying on guard despite Shazam's friendly demeanor.

"Did you take a magic subway ride?" Billy asked, assuming the kid had arrived the same way they'd had.

The boy shook his head.

"Did you make a wish on a shooting star?" Billy tried again. The less plausible question, making the kid frown. It was worth a shot.

"I think I'm supposed to find this." The boy took a scrap of paper out of his packet, with an orb scribbled on it and showed it to Billy. The orb, upon closer inspection, was in fact a magic 8-ball. A surprising sight amongst antiquated castles and steam trains.

"A magic 8-ball, huh? Shouldn't be too hard to find, in this _maze_ of an amusement park." Billy quipped, getting a begrudging smile out of his new companion.

The two wandered through the park, looking for the elusive 8-ball. Finding the pink butterflies fluttering by and children playing hopscotch a welcome distraction, to what was possibly a wild goose chase.

If this is going to be a wild goose chase, then we should at least get acquainted. Billy thought and introduced himself.

"So, you haven't told me your name yet. My name is Billy." Billy remarked and offered his name first, hoping the young boy would open up to him.

"Thaddeus... But you can call me Thad." Thaddeus gave Billy his name, after a moment's pause. A name he preferred to keep short, out of fear people would find it pretentious.

"Cool. Is this your first time in an amusement park? It can be scary and intense if you've never been to one before." Billy asked, recalling the grimace on Thad's face when he first spotted him from his vantage point in the sky.

"My father never brings me to places like this. I don't like being in a place I have no hope of visiting again." Thad muttered and turned way from Billy. Billy's heart went out to Thad. Most of his foster families were nothing short of supportive.

By the looks of things, Thaddeus was a boy ill at ease. Fearful of opening up his heart the slightest bit, in case any happiness gained would be taken away from. As a big brother to a host of siblings, Billy had to do something.

"But you can still have fun, _today_. Look." Billy pointed to a group of kids playing soccer on a field nearby. "Are you any good?"

"I play a mean game of soccer in gym class." Thad answered, with a grin. The happiest Billy had seen him all day. A day that was about to get better.

Meanwhile, on the field, one of the boys playing slipped on the grass and clutched around his grazed knee, holding back tears.

Spotting the injured player from a distance, Billy casually dropped a hint to Thad, hoping with all his heart that he would seize the opportunity.

"Looks like _they're _going to need a new player. Think you got what it takes?"

"I've got this."

—

From a lost boy to a star soccer player, Thad was glowing with confidence as he weaved through his opponents, scoring penalties for playing a bit too roughly, and his fair share of goals. After pulling off a tricky scissor kick move that won his team the game, Thad was approached by the referee; King Kid.

"Three cheers for our soccer champion!" King Kid raised Thad's hand in a victory stance, crowning him a winner.

"Here is your prize. You've earned it." The King held out a magic 8-ball, with a smile. The object of his quest.

Overjoyed by the reward, Thad grabbed the 8-ball and shook it, hoping for a message that would shed light on his mysterious arrival in the Funlands.

'Welcome back.' It read.

Did this ball belong to him before? Thad couldn't remember, no matter how hard he tried. It was then that Thad felt a tremble in his fingers and a weakness in his legs. It all seemed... familiar somehow, as his memories came flooding back.

An easy realm to target. A multicoloured fool and a cruel joke. A flash of light filled his vision and Thaddeus had reverted to his normal self.

"Thad? No, no... You can't be him." Billy's face fell, at the horrible realization that the endearing boy he'd spent a day with, had been the snake of a man—called Sivana, all along.

"But I am." Sivana informed Billy, relishing his foe's dismay. "I underestimated this place. When I return with reinforcements, I hope to see you gone from this realm, _friend_." Sivana gave Billy a 'courteous' warning and mocked their short lived friendship.

As Thaddeus walked away, leaving a hurt Billy with his mouth wide opened, the older man closed his eyes. His memories were at war with each other, vying for his attention. The youthful Thad, grateful for the kindness Billy had shown him that day and the cold, jaded man and his unrelenting thirst for power. Who would have a say, in what drove Thaddeus Sivana? Only time would tell.

* * *

**I was inspired by the episode of Tangled 'You're kidding Me' where they get turned into kids and Wedelia's (AO3) adopted young Thaddeus story to write a story where Shazam gets to know a young Thaddeus based on the setting of Shazam Issue #3 (The Funlands)**

**This also took a really long time to write, so comments are appreciated.**


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